The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This configuration provides a strong foundation for gaming, as the benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,645 and a single-core score of 3,055, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. In The Medium, a horror title that often relies on both world-streaming and complex scripted sequences, the CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 16 threads help maintain consistent frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the processor is able to push the average FPS to 149, suggesting that at lower graphical loads, the i5-14400F is not the limiting factor. However, its 65W TDP and locked multiplier indicate it is designed for efficiency and stability rather than overclocking headroom, which is adequate for a game like this where CPU demands are moderate but not extreme. The processor’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Intel Core i9-11900, have average benchmark scores within 0.2% of this chip, confirming that its performance tier is well-established for handling the logical and physics computations in this horror title. The 10 cores are split between performance and efficiency cores, which allows the game to schedule background tasks effectively, though the lack of integrated graphics means the discrete GPU handles all rendering duties.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a formidable graphics card from the Radeon RX 9000 series, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process from TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is critical for The Medium’s high-resolution textures and dual-reality rendering mechanic that can demand large memory pools. The GPU’s boost clock reaches 2970 MHz, and with 4096 shading units, it achieves a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, making it capable of handling the game’s fixed-camera angles and volumetric lighting effects. In the measured FPS data, the GPU’s influence is evident when comparing settings: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35, while at 4K Low, it jumps to 99, indicating that the card’s raw compute power is substantial but the highest settings impose a heavy load. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7,260 and Passmark G3D score of 26,795 place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, which is modest for a modern card but still sufficient to deliver playable frame rates in this title. Interestingly, the nearest rivals for this GPU, such as the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, have average scores within 1% of the RX 9070 XT, which is an anomaly given the generational gap, but the data shows that in this specific benchmark suite, the card’s performance is closer to those older parts than its specs would suggest. For The Medium, the 16 GB VRAM ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the card does not run out of memory, although the FPS at that setting is still constrained by the GPU’s compute limits rather than memory capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT achieves a combo rank of 857 out of 3,724 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the top 23% of all systems. This rank reflects a balanced pairing where the CPU’s 83rd percentile performance and the GPU’s 55th percentile performance contribute to a system that can handle the game well but is not at the absolute top tier. The data suggests that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing, as its percentile ranking is significantly lower than the CPU’s, meaning that at higher resolutions and settings, the RX 9070 XT will be the bottleneck. Compared to other combos, this system sits in a solid mid-to-high range, outperforming the majority of tested configurations but falling short of those with top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, which are not listed in the fact pack but are implied by the rank distribution. The combo’s position is further contextualized by the CPU’s nearest rivals, which show that the i5-14400F is competitive with mobile and older desktop parts, but the GPU’s low percentile suggests that users with this combo should expect to dial back settings for 4K gaming. The rank of 857 indicates that in a database of 3,724 combos, there are 856 systems that perform better, likely due to more powerful GPUs, while the remaining 2,867 combos are slower, making this a capable but not elite configuration for this specific horror title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in The Medium provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 149 on Low to 53 on Ultra, with Medium achieving 93 FPS (min 79, max 107) and High reaching 67 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the system is well-equipped for high-refresh-rate monitors on lower settings, but Ultra settings will drop below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium the sweet spot for smooth gameplay. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS decreases proportionally: Low hits 126, Medium averages 79 (min 67, max 90), High drops to 56, and Ultra falls to 45. At this resolution, the GPU begins to show its limitations, as even High settings struggle to maintain 60 FPS, while Medium provides a comfortable 79 FPS average with acceptable minimums. At 3840x2160, the performance gap widens significantly: Low manages 99 FPS, Medium averages 62 (min 53, max 71), High drops to 44, and Ultra falls to 35. The 4K data reveals that the RX 9070 XT is only capable of smooth gameplay at Low settings, while Medium is borderline playable with occasional dips below 60 FPS, and High and Ultra are not suitable for a consistent experience. The min FPS values for Medium settings show a drop of about 14% from the average at 1080p (79 vs 93) and 13% at 1440p (67 vs 79), but at 4K, the min of 53 is only 14% below the average of 62, indicating that frame pacing becomes more consistent at higher resolutions due to GPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo for a 60 FPS experience?*

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides an average FPS of 79, which is well above 60 FPS, while 3840x2160 with Medium averages 62 FPS, which is just above the threshold but with a min FPS of 53, indicating occasional dips below 60.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32,279, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226), while being 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32,354) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,121).

Q: Is the RX 9070 XT’s 16 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K Ultra settings in this game?

A: The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 35, which is not playable, but the VRAM capacity itself is not the issue; the GPU’s compute performance is the bottleneck, as the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is more than enough for the game’s demands.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 149 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 53 FPS, representing a 96 FPS drop, or roughly 64% lower performance, indicating the significant load that Ultra preset places on the GPU.

Q: How does the combo rank in the database of tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 857th out of 3,724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 23% of all systems tested for The Medium, which indicates good but not top-tier performance.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data shows 149 FPS at 1080p Low, which is very high, and since the CPU’s percentile (83rd) is higher than the GPU’s (55th), the GPU is the limiting factor even at this low setting, as the CPU has headroom to push more frames.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this combo depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 1080p display, Medium settings provide the best balance, delivering an average of 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual quality. High settings at 1080p drop to 67 FPS, which is still playable but offers no significant visual improvement over Medium for the 26 FPS loss. At 2560x1440, Medium is again the recommended preset, with an average of 79 FPS and a minimum of 67 FPS, which is ideal for a 60 Hz monitor and provides headroom for V-Sync. High settings at 1440p produce 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, so users should stick to Medium to avoid stuttering. For 4K gaming, Low settings are the only viable option for a smooth experience, averaging 99 FPS, while Medium at 62 FPS is borderline and may cause noticeable dips. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1080p they only achieve 53 FPS, which is below the standard for competitive play, and at 4K they drop to 35 FPS, making the game feel sluggish. The data indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this hardware, as it offers the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance, with the min FPS values staying above 50 at all resolutions, ensuring a stable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component in this system. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 93 at 1920x1080 to 79 at 2560x1440, a 15% decrease, and then to 62 at 3840x2160, a further 22% decrease from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel count increases by 2.25 times from 1080p to 1440p and by 4 times from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop proportionally, indicating that the GPU is not the sole bottleneck. The CPU’s performance remains relatively consistent across resolutions, but the GPU’s workload increases dramatically, causing the FPS to drop more steeply at 4K. For Low settings, the FPS drops from 149 at 1080p to 126 at 1440p (15% decrease) and then to 99 at 4K (21% decrease from 1440p), showing a similar trend. The fact that the FPS at 4K Low (99) is higher than at 1080p Ultra (53) suggests that the GPU has ample headroom when graphical effects are reduced, but the Ultra preset’s heavy use of volumetric effects and shadows quickly saturates the GPU’s capabilities. This scaling data implies that the RX 9070 XT is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s 16 threads and high clock speeds are sufficient to feed the GPU at all settings, but the GPU’s compute units cannot keep up with the increased pixel load at 4K. The min FPS values at Medium settings show that at 1080p, the min is 79 (85% of average), at 1440p it is 67 (85% of average), and at 4K it is 53 (85% of average), indicating that frame pacing remains consistent regardless of resolution, which points to a stable GPU driver and sufficient CPU performance to avoid stutters.